Roller feed mechanism for woodworking machines



ROLLER FEED MECHANISM FOR WOODWORKING MACHINES Filed April 25, 1962 G. STOLL June 1, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTOI? Ga w Staff June 1, 1965 a. STOLL 3,186,455

ROLLER FEED MECHANISM FOR WOODWORKING MACHINES Filed April 23, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/wavra Chm 1?.6 In: ac

a. STOLL 3,186,455

ROLLER FEED MECHANISM FOR WOODWORKING MACHINES June 1, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 23. 1962 mm m V6 Z w G United States Patent 3,186,455 ROLLER FEED MECHANISM FOR WOODWORKING MACHINES Gottlieb Stoll, Esslingen (Neckar), Germany Filed Apr. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 189,548 Claims priority, applici atioglggrmany, Apr. 26, 1961,

1 Claim. 01. 144-246) The present invention relates to a feed mechanism for Woodworking machines, in which feed rollers on one side Patented June 1, 1965 to the invention comprises a housing 1 which contains the of the housing of the mechanism are employed for transmitting their movement to a workpiece so as to feed the same along the machine table.

In order to adjust such a feed mechanism to the proper operating position relative to the workpiece and also to in dot-and-dash lines.

the tool, it is conventional to swivel the feed mechanism about at least two difierent axes, that is, a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.

It is an object of the present invention to provide very simple means for improving and facilitating the swiveling adjustment of such a feed mechanism. This is attained according to the invention essentially by suspending the feed mechanism on oneend of a horizontal jib by means of a ball-and-socket joint which consists of a ball-shaped end of a supporting rod which is secured to and extends downwardly from the horizontal jib, and of apair of spherical shells which. enclose the ball-shaped end of the supporting rod and are secured to the housing of the feed mechanism. The spherical shells are separated from each other by a narrow tightening slot. In addition, a part of the opposite walls of the two shells which define this tightening slot is recessed to form a wider arcuate slot through which the rod itself extends into or from the spherical shells and which permits the latter with the feed mechanism thereon to swivel within perpendicular planes around the ball-shaped end of the supporting rod for a certain angle which is determined by the length of the arcuate slot. By providing separate clamping means for the tightening slot and. for the Wider arcuate slot, it is then possible, while the main clamping means on the tightening slot is released, to clamp the spherical shells by the other clamping means upon the ball on the supporting rod with a sufiicient strength to permit the feed mechanism to be manually adjusted within perpendicular planes to any desired position but to be automaticallya-rrested in the adjusted position when no manual force is exerted thereon, while when the main clamping means on the tightening slot is tightened, the feedmechanism will be rigidly locked to the ball on the supporting rod. Thus, for carrying out the entire adjustment of the feed mechanism, it is merely necessary to loosen the main clamping means, then to swivel the feed mechanism easily by hand to any desired position, and then to retighten the main clamping means.

These and still further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 shows a general front view of the roller feed mechanism according to the invention as seen in the feeding direction and in a position in which the feed rollers press from above upon the workpiece;

FIGURE 2 shows a view similar to FIGURE 1 but with the feed mechanism adjusted to a position in which feed rollers press in the horizontal direction upon the workpiece; t v

FIGURE 3 shows a front view of the ball-joint suspension of the housing of the feed mechanism on .the horizontal jib;

electrical driving motor and the associated gear unit and also serves as the supporting means for the feed rollers '2 of which at least two are provided, the axes of which extend within a line E, as indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2 The feed rollers 2 are mounted at one side of housing 1 adjacent to one longitudinal wall thereof. As subsequently described in greater detail, housing 1 is suspended on a horizontal jib 3 which is supported by a vertical post 4 which is secured by a base 5 on the machine table T. Jib 3 is connected to the vertical post 4 by means of a crosspiece 6 which comprises a pair of.tubular parts 7 and 8 which are integral with each other and disposed at right angles to each other. Crosspiece 6 together with jib 3 is adjustable to different levels along post 4 by means of a handwheel 11 on a threaded spindle 9 which is screwed into crosspiece 6 and is rotatably mounted in a head 10 which is secured to the upper end of post 4 and projects laterally therefrom toward one side. The horizontal jib 3 which is slidable longitudinally within the tubular part 7 of crosspiece 6 carries a rack 12 with which a pinion 13 engages which is mounted on a setting spindle 15 which is rotatably mounted on the crosspiece 6 and carries a handwheel 14, as is also shown in FIGURE 6. The tubular parts 7 and 8 may be clamped upon jib 3 and post 4, respectively, in a manner as subseqnently described in detail.

The feed mechanism is suspended on the horizontal jib 3 by means of a ball-and-socket joint which consists of a pair of spherical shells 16 and 17 best shown in FIGURE 4 and which are secured by means of flanges 18 and 19 to the longitudinal wall 1' of housing 1 at the side away from the feed rollers 2 and of a ball 21 which is enclosed by the spherical shells 16 and 17 and forms the lower end of a supporting rod 20 which depends perpendicularly from the end of the horizontal jib 3. In the embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3, the supporting rod 20 is rigidly secured to the horizontal jib 3, for example, by being welded thereto, while according to the modification as illustrated in FIGURE 5, the supporting rod 20 has a socket 22 thereon which is fitted over the end of jib 3 and may be secured thereto by a screw 23. According to this modification, the feeding mechanism is therefore easily removable from jib 3.

The spherical shells 17 and 16 of the ball-and-socket joint are separated from each other by a narrow tightening slot 25, as shown in FIGURE 4, which extends within a perpendicular plane and, in addition, by a wider arcuate slot 24 which is formed by recesses in a part of the opposite walls of the two shells which define the tightening slot. This arcuate slot 24 has a width b (FIGURE 4) and slightly greater than the thickness of the supporting rod 20 itself and an arcuate length as indicated by the arrow a in FIGURE 3 so as to permit the ball socket formed by the two spherical shells and the feed mechanism thereon to swivel within perpendicular planes relative to the supporting rod 20 and to any angular position between the ends of the arcuate slot 24.

The two spherical shells 16 and 17 may be tightened on the spherical surface of ball 21 on the supporting rod 20 by means of bolts 26 and 27 which, however, are only r 3 tightened to such an extent that shells I6 and 17 will be clamped upon ball 21 with a pressure which just suffices to hold the housing 1' arrested in any position in the swiveling rangea of the arcuate slot 24, but permits the housing to be easily swiveled by hand to different positions within this range. For clamping the spherical shells 16 and 17 securely tothe ball 21 so as to be immovable thereon, a clamping bolt 28is provided which may be operated by a tommy bar and nut 29.

In the operating position of the mechanism according to FIGURE 1 which is most frequently used in actual practice, in which the feed rollers 2 press from above upon the workpiece W lying on the machine table T, the swiveling movement of housing 1 is limited by a setscrew 30 which is provided in the end surface of the arcuate slot 24 which in this operating position extends in a perpendicular direction. In order to insure that housing 1 and rollers 2 will be in a perpendicular position when swiveled to this operating position, the flanges of shells 16 and 17 are in addition provided with setscrews 31 which project from both sides into the arcuate slot 24 and guide the supporting rod 20 so as to be without lateral play. Within the remainder of the swiveling range a the arcuate slot 24 is made of a widthb, as indicated in FIGURE 4, which permits the supporting rod 20 to have a certain amount'of lateral play.

If the feed mechanism is to be-moved to the operating position as shown in FIGURE 2, in whichthe feed rollers 2 press the workpiece 20 in the horizontal direction against a guide rule L which is secured to the machine table T, the housing is at first turned from the position according to, FIGURE 1 about an angle of 180 around the supporting rod 29 and thereafter it is swiveled by the ball-and-socket joint at an angle of 90 toward the post 4, so that the supporting rod then projects from the shells 16 and 17 at the other end of slot 24, as indicated in dotand-dash lines in FIGURE 3. If in this swiveled position the plane E of the roller axes, as shown in FIGURE 2, does not as yet extend parallel to the'guide rule L because jib 3 does not extend at aright angle to the guide rule, housing 1 'must also be turned within a horizontal plane around the supporting rod 20. Because of the mentioned lateral play of the supporting .rod 2.0 within the arcuate slot 24, it is possible in this position to swivel the housing -1 slightly further within a perpendicular plane so that the axes of the feed rollers 2 will no longer extend exactly perpendicular and the feed rollers will exert a perpendicular force component which insures that the workpiece W when moved longitudinally isalways pressed upon the surface of the machine table.

After the clamping bolt 28 is loosened, it is possible by a single movement to adjust the feed mechanism to any desired operating .positionand also to any intermediate position between the two operating positions as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, in which the feed rollers press upon the workpiece at an acute angle to the surface of the machine table. For locking the mechanism in the desired operating position, it is then only necessary to retighten the clamping bolt 28. The operation of turning and swiveling the housing 1 may be carried outwith one hand, while the other hand will be free for the operation of the clamping bolt 28.

In the particular embodiment of the invention as illustrated, the spherical surface of each of the two shells 16 and 17 which engages with the ball 21 on the supporting rod 20 is limited to a narrow annular bearing area 32 which extends parallel to the tightenin slot 25. The distance between the center of the annular bearing area 32 and the. center of the ball is made of such a size that the intersecting tangents which may be plotted on these areas extend at an angle or of approximately 90 to each other (FIGURE 4).

For clamping the tubular parts 7 and 8 of the crosspiece 6 to the horizontal jib 3 and to, the perpendicular post 4, these two parts are provided with tightening slots 34 and 35 which lie opposite to each other within parallel planes, as shown in FIGURE 7, and are crossed by a clamping bolt 36. This clamping bolt 36 is screwed tightly into the resilient arm 38 at one side of the tightening slot 35 of the tubular part 8 and passes through and projects from the resilient arm 37 at one side of the tightening slot 34 of the tubular part '7. The threaded outer end '36 of this bolt 36 receives the threaded hub 39 of a tommy which may be screwed against the arm 37 to tighten the two resilient arms 37 and 3 8 relative to the nonresilient central part. Parallel to and spaced from the clamping bolt 36, a stop screw 40 is inserted into the free end of arm 37 for limiting .the extent to which this arm may be tightened. 'Arm 37 is thus able to yield considerably less When the force of the clamping bolt 36 is applied thereon than the other arm 38 next to the tightening slot 35. The different yield of the two arms 37 and 38 could, of course, also be attained by making them of different thicknesses. Due to the limited yield of arm 37 next to the tightening slot 34, the tubular part 8 will first be clamped to post 4 when the clamping bolt 36 is tightened, and only when the latter is thereafter further tightened, the'tubular part 7 will also be clamped to the jib 3. Thus it is possible by means of a single tightening element first to set up the proper elevation of cross-piece 6 with the jib 3 thereon, while the latter may still be shifted in the tubular part 7 by means of the rack-and-pinion gear 12, 13 until it is located in the desired position in which it may then be locked by an additional tightening turn on the clamping bolt 36. r

The head 10 of the vertical post 4, in which spindle 9 is rotatably mounted which serves for adjusting the elevation of the crosspiece 6 on the post, is illustrated as being rotatable on post 4. One manner in which this may be accomplished is shown in FIGURE 6, in which the head 10 fits like a cap over the upper end of post 4' and is supported on its end surface by a thrust ball bearing 41 which is secured against movement in the axial direction by a bolt 42. Due to the rotatable mounting of head 10 on post 4, jib 3 may be swiveled within horizontal plane even though the post is rigidly secured to its base 5. When .the clamping bolt 36 is tightened, this also locks jib 3 in the particular swiveled position.

The inventive manner of clamping the tubular parts of the crosspiece to jib 3 and to the post 4 by means of two tightening slots which are traversed by a single clamping bolt is applicable not only to roller feed mechanisms of the type as herein described, but also generally to any other woodworking or metalworking machines.

Although my, invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no Way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim In a wood working machine or the like having a pair of spaced feed rollers mounted in a housing turnably about spaced parallel axes located in a plane, in combination, support means including a substantially horizontal support arm, a pivot pin projecting substantially normal and downwardly from the region of one end of said arm and a ball member fixed to the free end of said pivot pin; socket means fixed to said. housing and engaging said ball member for connecting said housingto said arm turnably through an angle of 360- about the axis of said pivot pin and through an angle of -substantially about a second axis normal to the axis of said pivot pin, said socket means including a pair ofmembers fixed at one end thereof to said housing and having each a face normal to said plane in which the axes of said feed rollers are located and arranged spaced from and opposite of the face of the other of said members so as to define a clamping gap between said faces, each of said members being formed with a substantially semispherical cavity respectively extending from said face into the member and said cavities complementing each other for forming a cavity in which said ball member is housed, each of said members being further formed in said face thereof with a cutout extending through an angle of substantially 90 from the cavity in the member to the outer surface thereof and said cutouts complementing each other to define a slot between said members having a width slightly greater than the diameter of said pivot pin, said pin extending through said slot and the latter permitting turning of said socket means and said housing connected thereto between a first position in which said plane is substantially normal to the axis of said pivot pin and a second position in which said plane extends substantially parallel to said axis; guide and limiting means on said socket means engaging said pivot pin for guiding said socket means on said pivot pin during turning of said socket means about the axis of said pivot pin and for limiting the turning movement of said socket means about said second axis, said guide and limting means including a pair of set screws respectively arranged in said members aligned along a common axis substantially normal to that of said pivot pin and a third set screw arranged normal to said common axis and to that of said pivot pin, said set screws protruding with inner ends thereof into said slot and engaging said pivot pin for guiding said socket means during turning thereof about the axis of said pivot pin when said socket means is in said first position and said third set screw limiting turning movement of said socket means in one direction about said axis normal to that of said pivot pin; and clamping means cooperating with said socket means for clamping the latter in any adjusted position on said ball member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 180,881 8/76 Howson 28789 688,230 12/01 Isgrig 28789 X 2,020,102 11/35 Burton et al. 2,559,925 7/51 Barker 28712 2,825,591 3/58 Mulder. 2,864,415 12/58 Mayer 144246.5 3,05 8,640 10/62 Schuster.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,131,949 10/56 France.

623,090 12/ 35 Germany.

973,800 6/60 Germany. 1,109,865 6/ 61 Germany.

859,591 1/61 Great Britain.

LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner.

EARL EMSHWILLER, WILLIAM W. DYER, JR.,

Examiners. 

